May 2009

I suppose you could say all social entrepreneurs are heroes, but only one has started an organization to support and acknowledge other heroes. These heroes are far too young to have taken on this responsibility, for they’re responsible for their own care and feeding: They have been left orphaned after their parents died of AIDS in the country that has the world’s highest rate of HIV/AIDS.

You never know where and when you’ll meet a kindred spirit. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised that I met one on the online. After all, making connections with like-minded people is what the Internet is all about.

Recently I presented at the New Haven, CT Professional Net Impact chapter at Yale University. The task at hand: talking about why starting a company during the biggest recession since the Great Depression isn’t crazy.

I’ve been told that I’m a bit of a Pollyanna. When you ask me if the glass is half full or half empty, I’m likely to tell you it’s overflowing. So it was when I addressed the New Haven Professional chapter of Net Impact.

Now that the Small Business Administration (SBA) has a new leader, Karen Miller, it’s expected that the agency will not just open the floodgates to money but also technical assistance – a fancy way of saying support.

As part of the Stimulus Package, funds are being provided by government to eliminate fees on loans, allowing the Small Business Administration (SBA) to guarantee 90 percent (and in some case 100 percent) of small business loans. There’s also tax-savings measures built-in: deductions for property including equipment and the opportunity to offset income earned up to five years prior for a net operating loss in 2008.